In 1945, the Greater Seattle Chapter of the American Jewish Committee
(AJC) was established to safeguard and protect Jewish civil rights. The first
meeting was held January 31, 1946. In 1959, the Chapter established the Max H.
Block Award to High School Students, named after the organization's first
chair, to recognize students who demonstrate outstanding conduct. Another
significant award presented by the organization is the Edward F. Stern, Sr.
Human Relations Award, given annually to a leader in the Seattle Jewish
community in recognition of "distinguished leadership and dedicated service to
the Jewish and general community."

In 1973, AJC's Seattle Chapter coordinated Seattle area volunteers to
support Israel during and after the Yom Kippur War. Other activism includes
promoting passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1991 and lobbying for the
Religious Freedom Restoration Act and the Civil Rights Act. Since 1945, the
organization's purpose has expanded from a focus on protecting Jewish civil
rights to a mission of protecting the rights and freedoms of Jewish individuals
and all minorities.

Local programming has included a Jewish Film Festival, an Interfaith
Response to the Holocaust Commemoration, and the implementation of the Hands
Across Campus prejudice-reduction curriculum in schools. Now known as the
Seattle Regional Office of the AJC, the organization sponsors community seders
and speaker's series.